Proper Stabilization of a Pallet Stack

It is possible to avoid damaged freight through smart packing and sound palletization of anything that you intend to ship from point A to point B. Here is one topic you will want to consider if you hope to avoid damaged freight.

Protection and stabilization of the stack:

Now that you understand all shipping pallets are not manufactured to be equal, and it is equally important to pack properly and stack inventory. You will want to make sure you take the correct steps to protect and secure your assets.

Protector pads on both the top and bottom of a load:

• Use of either corrugated sheets or Masonite will help protect both the bottom and top boxes on any carefully loaded stack. A bottom pad minimizes the chance any box will fall into the gaps that are intrinsic to any style shipping pallet. The top pad serves to protect all boxes on the top of a stack from additional shipments of merchandise or inventory that may be loaded on top. A top pad will also help to distribute weight evenly if there is any additional freight loaded on top of the pallet.

Banding is not a bad thing:

• Consider the use of banding to ensure the loaded inventory is safely secured to your reusable pallet. You will want to be sure to keep all banding as close to the loaded freight as is possible, in order to limit the possibilities for the space leading to breakage.

Plastic shrink wrap or stretch wrap can keep it all together:

• Shrink wrap is preferred for keeping all loaded inventory or materials together and stabilized on a reusable shipping pallet. For the best security, the wrap should overlap by 3” over the top of a shipping pallet’s base. The wrap must also overlap by at least 3” at the top of each load.

By choosing to employ a few simple tips for packing, palletization and securing a load you can help minimize the chance for damaged cargo!